With a magnificent crest, a liberal dose of black eyeliner and dazzlingly bright flashes of yellow, Waxwings are considered one of the most beautiful birds to be seen in the UK.
Waxwings are winter visitors, travelling here from Scandinavia when the food supply there runs low. Most winters see a few hundred sightings across the UK, but during years of bad yields on the continent, large numbers of Waxwings will migrate longer distances in search of food and eventually reach our shores.
Poor berry crops in Finland and Sweden have apparently pushed Waxwings much further than usual this year, and with a berry bonanza reported across the country this autumn, Britain looks set to enjoy its biggest 'Waxwing winter' for at least a decade. This phenomenon is known as an 'irruption'.
In irruption years Waxwings start to arrive in larger numbers in November or later, with birds filtering slowly down the UK and forming flocks where they find suitable food. Flocks of more than 500 are already being recorded in Scotland and the North of England, with sightings now reported as close as Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, so the signs are hopeful!
The last major irruption when large numbers of Waxwings were seen in Surrey was 2012-13, leading to much excitement amongst local bird enthusiasts and intrigued locals alike, as flocks of these beautifully exotic looking birds descended on supermarket car parks across the county.
Local photographer Jon Hawkins from Surrey Hills Photography was quick to take advantage of the rare phenomenon, snapping dozens of beautiful images at North Camp train station, that he then donated to the Trust.
